I only became aware of this wonderful old 'powerhouse' scent fairly recently. It was launched in 1980, clearly fell out of favour and was discontinued - then reformulated and repackaged and became available in limited supply.
Jules (in its original formulation) is a voice that shouts loudly in the masculine vs. feminine scent debate. It's from an age when men were supposedly men and their fragrances could unabashedly broadcast that fact. It's from a time before reedy, weedy, watery, soapy, 'sporty' scents found their way into the male bathroom cabinet and consciousness.
In character, Jules is not dissimilar to Equipage by Hermès. It shares that rich woody and leathery heartiness; that poised formality and politeness vs. devil-may-care strength and brutality.
But Jules dares to take a step further. It's even darker and richer. It's animalic in the best possible way - not overly 'skanky' but sleek and powerful, like a big cat with its muscles rippling just below a shimmering pelt. It's warm with life; tough and confident. It purrs.
And yes, it has great sillage and lasting power - a little goes a long way and the initial crack of the whip settles handsomely into a second skin of decidedly refined yet feral masculinity.
Mark Jacob's Bang was roundly panned when it appeared last year, criticised for its woody, peppery simplicity. But I was pleased that a modern, mainstream men's release was in some small way harking back to those big, butch scents of old - those tough masculines such as Jules, the likes of which I doubt will grace department store counters again.
[By ANDREW]
I need to smell this!
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